The present invention relates to a flexible disk drive, and more particularly, to an improved structure of a disk holder for holding a flexible disk when the flexible disk is loaded.
As is well known, the flexible disk drive is an apparatus for recording and reproduction of data with respect to a magnetic recording medium (a flexible disk) in a shape of disc which has been inserted into the apparatus. Generally, the flexible disk drive of this type includes a magnetic head for reading and writing the data with respect to the flexible disk which is the magnetic recording medium, a carriage assembly which supports this magnetic head at its tip end so that the magnetic head can move along a radial direction of the flexible disk, a stepping motor which drives the carriage assembly to move along the radial direction, and a DD (direct drive) motor such as a spindle motor which holds the flexible disk and drives it to rotate.
The flexible disk drive of this type is mainly installed in a personal computer of various kinds. However, in case of a portable electronic apparatus (e.g., a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a notebook word processor, etc.), the flexible disk drive is usually separate from and connected to a main body of the apparatus for use as a so-called external type drive.
Recently, there has been a tendency to reduce the thickness of the above described portable type electronic apparatus. Reduction in thickness of the flexible disk drive to be internally installed in or externally connected to the apparatus has been also promoted. In order to attain such reduction in thickness of the flexible disk drive, various regulations and restrictions are imposed on components of the flexible disk drive. In other words, because the restrictions have increased while the thickness has decreased, the design margin will decrease.
Under such circumstances, maintaining strength is a serious problem, particularly in the flexible disk drive of the external type. For example, when an outer force is applied to a cover (a case) of the external type drive, the cover will be flexed and a position of the magnetic head fixed thereto will be lowered. As a result, there is a possibility that the magnetic head and the flexible disk will abut against each other, which is inherent in a flat type flexible disk. The flexible disk drive of the external type has many factors of receiving outer forces, for example, something may be placed on the flexible disk drive or something may strike the drive, and therefore, it is an urgent necessity to solve the problem.